Memorial Day Preview

Mimi & Papa just picked up their new baby.  I know one very excited little boy......and mommy.......and daddy.  I'm pretty sure this is going to be an amazing Memorial Day weekend.  Check back next week for the full report!  Have a wonderful holiday weekend and be safe!

Fun With Nicholas

Nicholas had some fun this afternoon goofing around with Jessica's iPhone.  Made me giggle...

Last Day of School

Well, Nicholas' first year of school has officially come to a close.  As I look back over the last nine months and note exactly how much our boy has grown and changed throughout this experience, I can't help but feel enormously proud.  We went from this baby:

To this happy-go-lucky little boy:

Okay, okay.  I realize that the difference might not be all that grand to the naked eye, but to me it's beyond description.  He went through so many changes this year.  From a long and difficult period of adjustment to his new routine, to finally adapting to school and flourishing in such an amazing way.  He has made so many friends and loves to talk about all the fun things he's gotten to do in class.  And he's bonded with the teachers and staff at St. Mark, which is such a comfort to Greg and I.  And the biggest accomplishment of all - he's now potty trained!!  Today, I see a very sweet, intelligent, thriving little boy who's just getting started in this great, big, wonderful world.  So yes, I'm enormously proud.

Nicholas' teacher, Miss Stephanie.  They're great pals and he loves her a whole, big bunch.

And lucky for us, he gets to go back for summer school in a few weeks. So all those wonderful things he's gotten to do won't be stopping and all those wonderful people who have molded his little life won't be forgotten. So stick around 'cause we're gonna keep right on truckin'!

Oh and don't forget, we've got a very important 3rd birthday coming up!  Party invitations will be hitting the mail very soon....

Happy Mother's Day

My feelings about being a mother are very simple and easily defined - I am lucky.  I am grateful.  I am happy.  This is the most amazing, precious, fulfilling, terrifying, hilarious, fascinating, and entertaining role that I have ever had the pleasure of filling and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.  I love you, Nicholas.  You are an incredible little boy who has stolen your Mommy and Daddy's hearts. You're everything we could have ever dreamed of and so much more. 

We had to replace our Crepe Myrtle this weekend so Nicholas got to have some fun playing in the hole and digging for worms.  It pains me to report that a few of them may have been dismembered. 

It was very hot outside this weekend so Daddy suited him up and turned on

the sprinklers for a little cooling down.  He was not too happy here because he

forgot to close his eyes as his ran through the water.  Ouch!

My gorgeous petunias that Nicholas potted for me at school last week.  I love them!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!!

Goin' to Pop's

Wow, what a terrific week it has been!  After an amazing weekend with Aunt Julie in town, we all loaded up and drove to Springfield for a quick visit with my brother's family and Pop.  Julie and I rode back together in her car, which is something we hadn't done together since we were teenagers.  There is just nothing better than two best friends locked in a car together for hours, talking and giggling the entire time.  I'm quite sure that Greg and Nicholas were relieved to have us in a separate car and be spared from 4 hours of incessant girl talk.  The whole trip lasted a very short 2 days, but it was totally worth it.  During our visit last December, Nicholas spent a lot of time with Pop and the two of them developed an instant bond.  I can't even count all the times he's asked for his Pop over the last few months so I was very excited to tell him we were finally going back.  His little face just lit up with excitement when we broke the news and it soon became all he could talk about.  And then he said something I will never, ever forget for as long as I live - "Pop is my best friend."  Tears well up in my eyes every time I think of that precious almost-three-year-old voice sweetly proclaiming his adoration for his great-grandfather.  I feel so incredibly lucky when I see the two of them together and I know that I will always hold these memories close. 

 

Quick Stop

Aunt Julie's in town for a visit this weekend, which means two things:  1.) We are having the time of our lives;  and 2.) I don't have much time to write because I don't want to miss a second of it!  So, this is just a quick stop to say "hello" and to drop off some pictures of Nicholas at the Public Safety Fair on Saturday.  There were a lot of different agencies there with their cool cars and equipment.  Nicholas had a great time wondering all over and meeting all of Daddy's friends.   

 I would like to say thank you to Aunt Julie for swallowing her longstanding fear of clowns in order to make this possible for Nicholas. It wasn't easy, but she stuck it out for the greater good.  She may never be the same.